Moving Forward with Conviction, Commitment and Courage

greetings everyone it's an honor to be able to speak to you today even though under these circumstances we can be together the title my message is the same as the theme of this year's General Conference of elders moving forward with conviction commitment and courage in 1995 I was serving as the head football coach at Hattiesburg high school one of the largest schools in the state of Mississippi and I was teaching world history as a coach and teacher you're always looking for ways to motivate players and students to bigger and better things than they ever dreamed was possible one of the mottos I continually emphasized was be a hero not a hero worshiper you can become much more than you ever dreamed you could be in one of those world history classes there was a little Jewish boy who was a member of the Civil Air Patrol and he gave me a little handbook that introduced me to some of the concepts of conviction commitment and courage I call them the three C's I have over the years studied the elements of the three C's from a biblical perspective and also from a secular perspective and I have used these concepts and coaching teaching and preaching ever since the spring of 1965 this couple with a philosophy of what constitutes a truly educated person and what is real freedom Jesus Christ says that if the son makes you free you should be free indeed my philosophy of education is based on John 8:32 where Jesus says and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free shortly after I stepped onto the campus of Delta State University in 1959 us walking toward the administration building and my eye caught an engraving over the entry into the building where these words were inscribed the state hath decreed that the only free men shall be educated harkening back to ancient Greek in which Greece in which only the free man could be educated but God hath decreed that only educated men are free this is in keeping with John 8:32 you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free a true education is one that frees you from fear ignorance upper station and the dogmas of man this kind of education is only achieved through understanding the answers to the great questions of life does God exist who is God what is God and what is his purpose who is man what is men and what is his purpose God is our Father he is spirit and his desire and his purpose is bringing sons and daughters to glory in his family and the same for man has corollary to that man was made by his creator with certain faculties akin to God made in the image of God but man has made of the dust of the ground and but he can receive eternal life from God in Jesus Christ upon repentance faith in baptism and the laying on of hands if you were named the president of a college or the head coach of any team at any level or a pastor a teacher a preacher what would be the philosophy you would communicate to those you are responsible for leading one of the first assignments that I usually assigned any class is for each person to write a paper on his or her philosophy of life I asked the elders in the first online Bible class I taught to write an essay on their philosophy of life the papers were quite revealing and they all agreed that they had learned quite a lot from these papers very helpful to them when ambassador college was founded two overriding principles motto she might say emerged and they were the Word of God is the foundation of knowledge and the second recaptured true values I would venture to say that virtually every person that ever attended ambassador College still remembers those two overriding concepts the Word of God is a foundation of knowledge and we're here to recapture true values so what is your philosophy of life what are your hopes goals and dreams for the future every person's life should be directed by a clear vision of what he or she hopes to achieve in life to a large degree every person's philosophy of life is shaped by the culture that they grow up in we all learned method and not content by that I mean we learn from example we learn to do things the way that our parents do things our teachers and those that we are able to come in contact with we especially as young people we learn method more than content children mimic what they see their parents their peers and the members of the community do no matter how talented a person is they will never even begin to realize their potential until they begin to see that life requires an abundance of self-discipline and self-direction in other words you must be convicted from within convicted of what you believe if you hope to achieve you're going to have to be convicted if you're going to really conduct your life and the way that God would have you to direct your life and going hand in glove with our hopes goals and dreams for the future is the standard by which we're going to live we're going to live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God as it says in Matthew 4:4 from a time a child is conceived he or she begins to absorb the emotional intellectual physical and spiritual environment that they're living in we now know that a great deal of learning takes place even in the womb parents who create a positive emotional intellectual physical and spiritual environment are helping the child to develop self-discipline and a knowing within that can result in deep conviction self discipline and self direction as a child growing up we did not have a lot of books we had two books on the place the Bible that we kept inside in the Sears & Roebuck catalog outside but my parents set a great example of a work ethic and self discipline and self direction and so you learn a lot from that example in today's world there are many distractions that are designed to keep you and I in a state of perpetual childhood and adolescence the advertising world along with the world of entertainment would have you believe that the good life resides in satiating all of your senses now and what advertising slogan says get all the gusto that you can get now and so we are called as some degree the now generation so one of the greatest obstacles that you will have to overcome is the ever-present temptation to just go along with the crowd and go with the flow let others do your thinking for you so many people wind up in devastating circumstances because they went with the flow they may have had good intentions but in a moment of carelessness they abandoned their convictions and jumped the track as stated earlier you must be convicted from within so what is this word conviction all about conviction is a deep-seated belief that goes to the very core of your being that what you are doing is right to the point that you are willing to die for it conviction is somewhat analogous to your conscience it has to do with discerning right and wrong but it goes further in that it produces a sense of urgency and a desire to actually see your convictions move to action you want to do something about it there's weight upon your mind you want that weight to be relieved you want to act on your convictions Christ taught this kind of conviction let's note now Luke chapter 14 there's a passage of scripture that we often cover in fact we always I think cover this in pre baptismal counseling Luke 14 verse verses 25 and 26 and there went out great multitudes with him and he turned and said unto them if any man come to me and love not less his father mother wife children brethren and sisters yes even his own life he cannot be my disciples so we must be convicted to the point that we are willing to die for our convictions so have are you convicted to the very core and depth of your being have you been convicted to the very core and depth of your being conviction apart from action is of no lasting consequence the wood is full of people's who have intellectual assent to the truth they will say they believe in God that Jesus says if you love me you will keep my Commandments so conviction apart from action is of no less and consequences in other words if you're doing whatever you are doing because it is what you believe and what you are convicted of then your action can be of lasting consequence it can lay up treasure for you in heaven where Russ and moth does not corrupt and where thieves do not break through and steal there are different ways in which we become convicted of certain things first of all we become convicted of certain physical things we become convicted of those things through experience there are four main ways that people come to knowledge one is through experience called experiential knowledge trial and error another is what's called empirical knowledge that is knowledge through the five senses and then there is rational knowledge knowledge that is gained from human reasoning and putting two and two together as a child we learn physical things as I said first we learned that the fire is hot the stove is hot the heater is hot we learned that if we drop something it is going to fall and we become convicted of those things to the depth of our being so we learn how to deal with fire we learn how to deal with the law of gravity our parents begin to teach us that we should apply ourselves to schools so we will be better prepared for life our parents hopefully teach begin to teach us the values of honesty responsibility hard work and doing unto others as you would have them to do unto you and we become convicted these values and begin to direct our lives accordingly so how is spiritual conviction developed spiritual conviction is the product of the Spirit and the Word of God over and over you understand from the Bible that the Spirit of God and the Word of God are the two principle convicting agents so let's turn now to John chapter 16 John chapter 16 and verse 7 and John chapter 16 and verse 7 nevertheless I tell you the truth it is expedient for you that I go away for if I go not away the comforter and in John 14:26 the comforter is identified as the Holy Spirit the Paraclete owes Parakletos however you want to pronounce it the one alongside the comforter the comforter will not come unto you but if I depart I will send it unto you and when it is come it will reprove the world of sin now the Greek word therefore reprove is Alenko in the Greek and it means to convict to lay a weight on one's mind to motivate them to move to action and when it has come that is the Holy Spirit it will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment now we note further in John 16 and verse 13 a few verses down howbeit when the Spirit of Truth has come it will guide you into all truth for it shall not speak of itself whatsoever it shall hear that shall at speak so what does the truth hear the truth hears the word of God John 17:17 sanctify them through your word your word is truth and he will show you that is the holy spirit and it will show you things to come one of the reasons Christ commissioned the disciples and raised up the church or so the peoples of the world could hear the truth and become convicted so Christ tells us in Matthew 28:19 and 20 he says that we are to disciple all nations go into all the world disciple all nations teach them to observe whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you even to the end of the age so Christ raised up the church he commissioned the church and now we read from Romans chapter 10 Romans chapter 10 and verse 14 Romans 10 verse 14 how then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a preacher so one of the reasons for the church of course is to provide the ministry and to provide the kind of care that is needed in a congregation and how shall they preach except they be sent as it is written how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things but they have not all obeyed the gospel for Isaiah said Lord who has believed our report so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God so the other convicting agent is the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit convicts us along with the Word of God so the Holy Spirit working in concert with the word of God convicts us of the truth perhaps the greatest charge that is given to the ministry is contained in or written in 2nd Timothy chapter for verses one through four where Paul admonishes the young Timothy of course this is a prison epistle of Paul is in prison and he's encouraging Timothy who had apparently begun to draw back and become somewhat fearful and ashamed of Paul I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom preach the word be instant in season out of season [Music] reprove and once again here's this word reprove it is to convict Elanco convict and to rebuke with all long-suffering and doctrine so we are charged to do that to preach the word he goes on to say that a time is coming in which they will turn to fables with each and ears hoping to hear some new things but we are admonished to preach the word in season out of season with all gravity and seriousness true spiritual conviction once again in places a weight on a person's mind impressing upon a person that these things are true and we need to respond to our conviction of course the conviction can be resisted and just as the Roman ruler told Paul come back a more convenient time and people oftentimes put things off but it says in proverbs 29 1 that the person who hardens his heart will suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy so be careful with trying to not act on your conviction hardening your heart you begin to realize that God has your best interests at heart you're really convicted and he wants to see you in his kingdom and that apart from God in Christ you're going to die this conviction begins to burn within your being to the point that you're willing to forsake all to follow Christ and we've already read Luke 14 verses 25 and 26 that you must be able and willing to forsake all even your own life well the right or wrong there have been men and women over the years and the course of human history that were so convicted of certain truths to the point that they gave their lives probably not members of the true church obviously some were not we can think of Joan of Arc Galileo Giordano Bruno and many others some began to understand that the earth is not the center of the universe is taught by the Catholic Church they invented telescopes and peered into the heavens and came to realize that the Earth revolves around the Sun and so when heliocentric universe they were called on to recant or face being burned at the stake reportedly Galileo recanted at the last moment while whispering under his breath the truth others were burned at the stake or were tortured in some way because of their belief perhaps the most quoted statement that came out of the American Revolution were the famous words of Patrick Henry who said I know not what course others may take but as for me give me liberty or give me death some of the great men and women of faith who remained true to their spiritual convictions are Chronicle for us in Hebrews chapter 11 it is encouraging to read those examples and perhaps you would want to do that the men and women who gave their lives as chronicled in Hebrews chapter 11 after you have been convicted by the word and Spirit of God it requires your active participation in other words you have to open the pages of your Bible began to read the Word of God and pray to God for understanding remember what we read from Romans 10:17 faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God so if you want to increase your faith you go to the Word of God you begin to study meditate on the Word of God the present day trend is for society to teach men and women to act according to the expectation of others not from transcendental convictions a popular sociologist David Riesman several years ago wrote a book called the lonely crowd even way back then decades ago we wrote this book but it still describes the phenomenon that we see today and of course it is progressed much more now than it was in the day of when Riesman wrote the book he described this phenomenon of being other-directed he wrote before World War one that Americans were typically inner-directed the pre-world War one Society helped a person to develop an internalized set of goals which emphasized self-reliance and conquest over life's challenges of ups and downs the Industrial Revolution was reaching its apex to some degree then but of course we have had tremendous revolutions jet age space age nuclear age and many other things the technological age that is now upon us and revolution that pales into insignificance too insignificant some of those things but at that time people or to a large degree self-reliant and when met with a Christ as such as we were facing today they were able to deal with it much much more capably than we are today the aim was mastery by the individual of the total environment the basis of this master involved mastery of self as a result the individual acquired an inner gyroscope a compass to guide him or her that gave them the stability that so that they could deal with difficult times and grave inconsistencies that they might see or hear as we have seen recently many people panicked in the wake of trials and are unable to stand when situations are tough today the emphasis is on image political correctness and going along with the crowd so even adults might say or ass what will my friends think instead of thinking what do I believe about this and what am I going to do about it we need leaders who have an inner core leaders who are not just empty shells leaders who will stand in the gap and make up the hedge as Ezekiel writes about in Ezekiel 22 3 ceman writes the present American character is other-directed he seeks not to be independent but to fit in he lives as though he were directed by radar set fastened on his head continuously telling him what other people expect of him the other directed person receives his or her motives and directions from others and of course brethren we cannot be that way we must get our direction from the Word of God and the Spirit of God the other directed person confuses freedom to respond with real freedom oh yes people are free to respond but what are the consequences of the response true freedom stems from one of this ability and willingness to direct their life based on internalized transcendental values once again if you go back to what nearly everyone could quote from the early years ambassador college all the way up now into ABC the Word of God is a foundation of knowledge and we are to recapture true values if you are truly free you will have an effective center a center of motivation within yourself in other words your actions will be based on deeply held convictions and commitment to upholding your convictions you must be convicted by the Word of God to the point that you're willing to forsake all this is the third time that we've said this that you're willing to forsake all to conform to the example of Jesus Christ who loved not his life and to the death that kind of conviction requires that your thoughts the meditations of your heart be directed toward God as David writes in psalm 119 verse 97 we sing this hymn quite often all howl of I your law it is my meditation all the day this is where a commitment enters into the picture after you were convicted of the great spiritual truths of the ages God expects you to be committed to them after you're convicted of them God expects you to be committed to them the word commitment literally means to give in charge to place in trust to pledge to bind God has placed his precious truth the pearl of great price in sacred trusts with each one of us it is incumbent upon you and I to totally give ourselves up holding the trust that has been given us a committed person is willing to forsake all in order to live by his or her convictions God's truth is a sacred trust and a charge that should be taken into life's battles the truth that has been committed to us where to hold in sacred trust the livid and teach it to others no what the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy so this is 2nd Timothy chapter 2 and verse 1 2nd Timothy 2 verse 1 you therefore my son be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus and the things that you have heard of me among many witnesses the same commit to you to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also you therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ and we sing the song onward Christian soldiers are we truly marching in our spiritual warfare with conviction and commitment and of course we still have one see to go Christ expressed his commitment at age 12 when he was there at the feast and his parents left and we're looking for him and went back and found him and he said unto them how is it that you sought me why were you come looking for me don't you know that I must be about my father's business and salute to you in verse 49 later in his ministry Christ states in John 4:34 and Jesus said unto them my food is to do the will of him that sent me and finish his work Christ was totally committed to doing the will of his father he did it with zeal and with passion and yet at the same time he was filled with compassion that brings us to the third see courage courage is the quality of being fearless courage as a product of conviction and commitment can say that often enough courage is the product of conviction and commitment if you have not meditated and obeyed the Word of God if you've not committed your entire being heart mind and soul you will lack courage you may be witty you may be clever you may have a great personality but when all is said and done if your words thoughts and actions are not based on the Word of God you will be spineless and you will fail note the words the Apostle Paul in second Timothy once again in 2nd Timothy as we mentioned earlier Timothy was becoming fearful Paul was in prison and apparently Timothy was having a difficult time he was a very young man and Paul writes to him and says to stir up the spirit that was given him by the laying on of Paul's hands and he further said in verse 7 that God has not given us spirit of fear but of power and of a sound mind so we need to be bold courageous not afraid to look others in the eye and speak once again courage is a product of conviction and commitment now we want to read the words of the Lord's brother James in James chapter 1 and verse 17 but be you doers of the word intellectual assent to the truth as we mentioned is not enough you can't just say I believe me you do errs of the word and not hearers only deceiving your own selves but if any be a hearer of the word and not a doer he is like unto a man beholding his natural face and a glass for he beholds himself goes his way and straightway forgets what men are men he was but whoso looks into the perfect law of Liberty continues therein he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work this man shall be blessed in his deed you'll be blessed if you act on your convictions if those convictions are from the Word of God God to the degree that you are convicted and committed you will respond courageously so how important is courage let's notice now Revelation chapter 21 Revelation chapter 21 and verse 7 in Revelation 21 verse 7 he that overcomes shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be my son but the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all Liars shall have their part in the lake of fire which burns with brimstone which is the second death the famous words of the Greek yes you would call him a philosopher teacher his name is epictetus a very apropos for what we're talking about here today here's what epictetus rode and these words need to be engraved on our foreheads and back bones when you do a thing because you have determined that it ought to be done never avoid being seen doing it and if the opinion of the multitude is going to condemn you for if your action is wrong then avoid doing it altogether but if it is right do not fear those who will rebuke you wrongly for they are as dust in the wind easily swayed and controlled by the slightest breeze the Bible is filled with examples of hiroi leadership men and women who stood in the gap men and women who were convicted committed and responded courageously when David confronted Goliath on the battlefield he was but a teenager the three Hebrew children when thrown into the fiery furnace because they would not bow down and worship the image to Nebuchadnezzar were probably teenagers when they were thrown into the furnace remember the conviction and commitment and courage of Daniel in the lion's den remember the courage of young Queen Esther and her appearance before the King remember Christ and all of the things that he endured his ministry and his words as he suffered on the stage remember the words of Paul on Mars Hill as he confronted the detractors of his day the skeptics so what about you and I will we be chronicled as one who stood against the maddening crowd a person who loved God truth and freedom more than we loved our own lives will we stand in the gap will we seek the truth will we provide heroic leadership in this critical crucial times that are before us so indeed as the theme of this conference is GCE of this year conviction courage and commitment let us move forward with conviction and courage and commitment and let's remember the words of the Apostle Paul now the just shall live by faith but if any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him but you are not of those who draw back unto perdition but of them that believe to the saving of the soul so brethren we will move forward with conviction commitment and courage you

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Length: 39min 22sec (2362 seconds)

Published: Sat May 02 2020